Redland City’s amended draft city plan responds to residents’ requests for better designed homes and more aesthetic neighbourhoods.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the amended Draft City Plan endorsed by councillors at a Special Meeting today (Tuesday 28 Feb) included increased frontages and larger minimum lot sizes in some areas of the city.
“We know the Redlands is a beautiful city and we don’t want that beauty ruined by poorly designed residential properties so we have amended the Draft City Plan to ensure that doesn’t happen,” she said.
“This includes removing the opportunity for multiple dwellings in the low density zones and increased minimum lot sizes from 350m2 to 400m2 across the significant area of low density residential zoning in the city (currently Urban Residential).”
Cr Williams said Council had responded to community feedback by amending the Draft City Plan being.
“Residents told us they wanted larger lots and we have responded by strengthening the minimum lot size requirements as well as increasing the proposed 400m2 minimum lot size to 2000m2 minimum lot size for hundreds of low density residential properties in Alexandra Hills, Wellington Point and Birkdale.
“We have also changed the minimum lot size in the low-medium density zone from 250m2 to 400m2.
“Setting these restrictions, draws a line in the sand and sets an expectation for what our residents can expect to see in their community.”
Cr Williams said the amended Draft City Plan also strengthened design outcomes to retain the aesthetics of local neighbourhoods.
“The amended Draft City Plan acknowledges the need for housing diversity in the Redlands, while at the same time setting design outcomes that will mean future homes are visually pleasing,” she said.
“The draft plan includes site layout and design as separate performance outcomes, meaning Council can assess an application on building design, ensuring future neighbourhoods have well designed and laid out homes.
“These improved provisions coupled with increased environmental restrictions means our city will retain its open space and environmental characteristics.
“This is a direct response to community feedback, showing Council has listened throughout the City Plan process and has responded.”
Cr Williams said parking spaces would also increase for most new two- and three-bedroom plus units in the city.
“The amendment to the plan increases parking spaces to 1.6 spaces (up from 1.25 spaces) for a two-bedroom unit and to 2.1 spaces (also up from 1.25 spaces) for a three-bedroom plus unit within 800m of a train station and 400m of a bus stop with more than 10 services a day, which is the majority of unit blocks.”
Like or loathe community activism, I believe that in challenging council operations, we have secured better process and result. Public office is a painful indoctrination, but it can produce incredibly profitable result. Only a committed community can ensure that its representation retains an integrity focus, by remaining involved. Today represented more of a community response from Council, but for the next 12 months, we will continue to experience the lack of community resolve in challenging unfit decisions, in the transitional window between what was, and what has been secured in demanding better and increased accountability. We can’t afford to take our foot off the accelerator. Compliance with legislation isn’t enough. Why be limited by the vision of an absentee author who never lived here? As residents, we have an intimate perspective of what might work here and what would not. Whilst I continue to pay for the privilege of governance, I will continue to demand a return-on-investment, in value for money and due diligence terms. But why can’t we be entrepreneurial and innovative in our challenging of legislation too! What assets should be preserved at all costs, and why? What Redland legacy should be preserved and feted for perpetuity? We all should acknowledge a stake in events. Its what our Parents did. There is a debt to be served. No one can afford to remain a mere spectator to events. Our future is involved.
Minimum lot sizes should be based on quality of the design of the house to be built for the lot. There are houses designed on 300 sqm lots which are a far better product in terms of livability than 7m wide x 30 m long “ocean liner” houses on 400 sqm prescriptive 10mx40m lots. I think we should return to the previous system of requiring approved plans of development showing building envelopes, parking spaces and location of landscaping and open space on all lots of 400 sqm or less and with frontages of less than 12m. The problem is not the lot size but the “formula design” project homes which are being built.
City Plan
Need the following:
Capalaba shopping area:
rezone so that it can become a City Heart, High density units (max 10 stories, restaurants, office blocks, malls etc
Bypass road for Capalaba CBD. (tunnel Moreton Road under Redland Bay Road)
Create Redland Premuim Sports Precinct (Capalaba Soccer, Rugby League are)
Capalaba Wynnum corridor:
Light rail or spur off QR @Thornside to Capalaba
Two lane both directions New Cleveland and Green Camp
Ricketts Road:
Two Lanes both directions
Cleveland Rail Line:
Extend two lines to Cleveland
Extend Cleveland line through Thornlands, Victoria Point, Redland Bay, Mt Cotton, Carbrook and connect up with Beenleigh Line
Koalas/Wildlife:
Create linked corridors across Redlands, use of wildlife bridges, tunnels etc. Create incentive for housing to be wildlife friendly.
Internet:
Create high speed fibre network.
Uni:
University campus at Redlands
Tech:
Create high tech industry at Redlands